Heath Bell is giving out two run innings like he’s Daryl Hannah giving out crazy vibes. Yesterday, was the fourth time in 8 appearances this year he’s allowed 2 runs. His WHIP (2.70) looks like an ERA, his ERA looks a perfect score from a corrupt figure skater judge (10.80) and the Red Sox are wondering if he can be their closer. At some point, Bell should be replaced as closer, and, with the way he’s been pitching, that point was about three weeks ago. Astute Razzball reader, “Is Cishek or Mujica the replacement?” I thought you were the astute one. Mujica looks to be the set-up man, but I think Cishek gets first crack. It’s called a hunch, like how Guy Fieri eats a sandwich. As of right now, I wouldn’t drop Bell, but I also wouldn’t put him in my active roster. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Juan Carlos Oviedo – MLB suspended Juan Carlos Ovideo (Leo Nunez) for eight weeks for using a fake identity. No plan to suspend Heath Bell for impersonating Kevin Gregg. In his time off, Leo the Lyin’ plans on snorkeling through Atlantis, talking to his giant rabbit Harvey and hunting Sasquatch.

Evan Longoria – Left yesterday’s game with a knee injury after trying to steal 2nd. The Rays are calling it “knee soreness.” I’m calling it “it better be just soreness.”

Miguel Olivo – Homered, but whatever he also left yesterday’s game because his groin got injury duty, leaving the M’s summonsing Montero (who also homered)! Olivo’s headed to the 15-day DL, so guess who will get 10 games played at catcher just a tad quicker now? Hey, I’m smiling. That feels weird.

Edwin Encarnacion – 2-for-3 with his 8th homer and 4th game in a row with one. His hot hitting has my heart stopped…. captured…. arrested… It’s a case of Edwin Incarceration.

Allen Craig – Look at Allen Craig strutting around with two first names while R. Kelly’s only got an initial. Craig is set to return from the DL. Probably won’t play 2nd base, but whatever, that’s real baseball talk. He’s eligible there in most fantasy leagues. He could get teen homers and a handful of steals with everyday playing time, which he should have.

Kyle Drabek – 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 8 Ks, as he lowers his ERA to 2.40 while striking out nearly a batter per inning. I’ve told just about anyone who’s asked in the comments that they should pick up Drabek, friend.

Brad Lidge – He’s gonna miss May with hernia surgery. So he went from Vertigo to Nads on a Strain.

Kevin Youkilis – Was scratched with a sore back. Weird, that usually happens to me with an itchy back.

David Ortiz – 2-for-3 with his 5th and 6th homers as he bats .405 with 20 RBIs. Of course I should’ve just drafted Ortiz in the 2nd round instead of Giancarlo Stanton. I will now lock myself in my cry closet.

Jason Hammel – 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks. His ERA is now at 1.97. Good thing Matusz was the Orioles starter to watch coming out of Spring Training. Sideways emoticon with an elbow nudge.

Ryan Braun – 3 homers in Petco with the 2nd one being airmailed, but it still counted.

David Robertson – 1 IP, 3 Ks. K-Rob’s ERA is 0.00 and WHIP is 0.91, having allowed 7 baserunners in 11 IP to go with his 18 Ks. He’s owned in 12% of ESPN leagues and he’s headed for a better year than probably at least two of the starters on your fantasy team.

Patrick Corbin – 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 11 baserunners, 6 Ks. Isn’t this Patrick Corbin guy the one Carrie bides her time with while she waits for Mr. Big to come to his senses? She looks like a horse; horses are hot; what else do you need, Mr. Big? Any the hoo! In mixed leagues, wake me when Trevor Bauer’s called up. Or even Tyler Skaggs. Or Boz Scaggs.

Paul Goldschmidt – 1-for-3 with a steal as he bats .193 and hit cleanup. Pretty appropriate since he’s been dirtying fantasy lineups all year.

Justin Morneau – Left yesterday’s game with a sore wrist. This Justin, Morneau’s an injury waiting to happen.

Bryan LaHair – 2-for-4, 2 RBIs and his 5th homer. For those who are like, “LaWhere did this come from?” He hit 38 homers last year in the PCL. Granted the PCL fills their baseballs with helium, but he’s still got power to spare.

Tony Campana – 0-for-4 with a run and a steal. When he’s in the dugout, the Cubs hang him from a coat hanger and his legs continue to run.

Matt Kemp – Hit his 12th homer yesterday. The Padres collectively have 11, Cubs have 8 and Infante has 5.

Juan Nicasio – 6 IP, 2 ER, 11 baserunners, 4 Ks. That looks about right for the line you can expect from Nicasio. Maybe a touch more K and a tad less LOB.

Vance Worley – 7 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks as he was done wrong by his bullpen that gave up his win. He’s probably suffering from Münchausen Syndrome because of the rest of the starters in the majors.

Pedro Alvarez – 1-for-4 with his 5th homer. Fine, I picked him up. I had a gaping hole left by Zimmerman, so, with a heavy heart, I went back to the Pedro Alvarez well. The worst thing that could’ve happened was I ended up ignoring Alvarez this year because of how burnt I got last year. The 2nd worst thing that could happen is I get burnt again this year. Yay.

James McDonald – 7 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 9 baserunners, 10 Ks. There’s the old (once-hyped) McDonald. Has now strung together back-to-back solid starts with excellent Ks. I don’t think he’s going to be without his hiccups.

Mike Minor – 6 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 11 baserunners, 9 Ks. Speaking of hiccups, looking at Minor’s start would cure his owners of them. I’m guessing with 11 baserunners, seven earned and 9 Ks through 6 and a third, he was pretty unlucky. Too bad I don’t play in any FIPpin’ leagues that care about luck.

Delmon Young – Suspended for 7 days after an incident where he was allegedly yelling anti-Semitic remarks. Delmon said he was just playing Words With Friends.

I also benched Milone last night in my 16-team one-year roto league, so there was no immediate harm done. But does his getting roughed up like that — along with the fact that his next games are @TAM, DET, and then @TEX — make him droppable? If so, would a good performance from Parker (his upcoming sked is a little better than Milone’s: TOR, DET, @SF) or Aroyo (@PIT, WASH, @NYM) make them a better pickup?

@Enrique, Another idea for the same roster spot: roll the dice with Mujica (Cishek is taken). I’m in first in saves with a bunch of junk relievers but is Mujica earns the closer job I could trade away one. Lot of save-deprived owners in the league.

@Enrique, looking at the match ups, i’d definitely go with Detwiler. He can pitch. Westbrook will be fine aswell but i dont like pitchers who cant help in k/9 category. Smyly and Drabek could be ok too.

I think it’s time to sell, sell, sell on Lohse. Baffles me that he’s owned in 85% of Yahoo! leagues. What is the trade value for this guy? My rotation is Gallardo, Beckett, Shields, Romero, Drabek, Minor, and Milone with closers of Valverde, Rodney, and Jansen. 10 team keeper, just for reference.

@Poo Holes, It is the exact same thing I am trying to do with no luck. Part of me is hoping this is some crazy turn around year for him and he is in a state of permanent April. If I can’t trade him…….abuse him like a rented mule until he breaks.

@Poo Holes, The only thing I find baffling about why he’s owned in 85% of Yahoo leagues is, why is he only owned in 85%? He’s owned in 100% of ESPN leagues.

Of course he’s going to fall off and be droppable at some point, but why would you not own him now while he’s hot (like he always seems to be in April). The guy is the #4 SP on ESPN’s and Yahoo’s player raters, and he’s the #8 OVERALL player on Razzball’s own player rater.

Own him. Trade him for value if you can (which more than likely you can’t). Drop him when he starts sucking, which may be soon, but enjoy it while it lasts.

@A Hill O’ Beans, I’ve had him for a few starts. Thing is, it’s technically not April anymore. Just trying to get value while I can, especially knowing that he won’t be able to keep it up for much longer. As you can see from the rest of my staff, my team ERA is last in the league by far. I’m sure he’ll just be a throw in in some deal I pull off.

Yup, got burnt by Minor…Not a good start to the fantasy week, and the Longo injury to boot.

12-tm, H2H, 7×7 (OPS, TB, L, QS)

Question, Grey: Drop Stubbs for Torii, Rios, or Scott? Also Smyly, Saunders, McCarthy all FA’s (do I add one considering my current pitching depth?) AND Marcum just got dropped, do I put waiver claim on him, and who do I drop?

For those who were actually working yesterday, let me let you in on something the broadcast showed during the Miami game. Heath Bell is warming up in the pen and angrily yelling at himself after his pitches. Something was weird but nothing was said during the broadcast because the announcers were so enthused by the intense rain outside. It looked like he was having control issues warming up.

I don’t think I’ve seen your take on Mat Gamel lately. I was really expecting him to come alive now that he has almost guaranteed at-bats. But he hasn’t shown much so far, though I know that’s partly because he tweaked his sholder. Do we need to have patience?

I have him in two roto leagues where he’s in the UTIL spot when he plays at all.

Just traded Adrian Gonzalez/Minor/Reimold for Pujols. A few days ago I dealt Votto/Haren/Casilla for Miguel Cabrera. Was able to snag Marcum off of waivers, so that kinda makes up for losing Haren, I am still very rich in the SP department and saves. You guys think I made the right decision making those moves?

@STRAWberry, That’s certainly possible, but as he is the only big stick with the Cubs I think they’re gonna move him to the OF when Rizzo comes up. I still think he has more ABs than Trumbo all season b/c the Angels are still a little blocked up.

Hello Grey. I would like your opinion on the following trade in our 12 Team 6×6 H2H League with OPS and Holds:

Teixera, Jeter and Shields
for
Greinke, Haren and Perralta

You should know that the owner who traded Greinke drafted a lot of pitching and desperately needed offense. It just seems to me that if you trade both of those quality SPs, you should get something more than an aging SS who is hot right now and an underachieving IB whose numbers seem to be declining every year.

So, is it time to cut bait on Mark Reynolds (I know, it was prob time before I drafted him)? I get the bad BA, but 150 is Sub-Donkey level. Not to mention, the only reason his BA is palatable is b/c of his power…which has yet to make an appearance.

He’s currently occupying my IF slot, so I was thinking of picking up Alvarez since he’s wielding a hot bat. Other IF-ers available are:

@Jon, im benching lilly…. I mean lets be real out of his 3 starts two of them came vs HOU and SD, the other vs. ATL. He had 6 BB in the one start. He’s bound to come back to earth, and he could come back really quick at coors stadium. It’s risky, which is why i’m just gonna sit him and be sonovabenched if he throws another good one.

Great call on benching Milone. I too decided Boston and Tampa were too much for the youngster and benched him as well. Although, it would have been great to see him outduel Buchholz even if I hadn’t started him.

Not a doctor (unless you are one of the 4 female readers) but Longo’s slide looks to be a hamstring pull. I tweaked my hamstring pretty well trying to steal second and was back in a week. Longo will sit for two as a precaution, but he should be OK.

@Grey, Lind was sucking up a bench spot and this injury to Longo forced me to drop him for C Davis. What do you think of A-Rod as a long term replacement for Longo? I think I can get him for Butler & Axford.

@Eddie, I also have Phillips and Altuve at 2B. Not having Morse, Krispie and Zimmerman is killing my power. Still feel the same way? Suppose I could drop Schierholtz, Span or Tabata, but I’m not sure how that would help.

@Alex, Well that puts things in context anyway. I’d rather trade Ackley than drop him. Assuming Scheirholtz isn’t starting for you, I’d drop him. Those kind of guys (power, middling average, and playing time issues) are bountiful on waivers.

Thoughts on this trade: I’d be trading Dustin Pedroia for Gio Gonzalez and Josh Willingham. I have Emilio Bonifacio for my new 2b and I have a weakish pitching staff. Drafted a bunch of #2 and #3 starters. Is this a deal I should do?

Looking to trade Aybar, Juan Rivera and Matt Harrison for Harper and Carlos Lee. This is assuming Harper will have an extended stay in the big leagues. Is that wishful thinking or does he have a shot at it?

Closers are more valuable in our league since we have a starts limit. So I’m looking at moving Downs and Reed for an SP (I also have Thornton, Broxton, Henry Rod, and Casilla). Which SP should I try to get.

I’m also in my cry closet holding my Longoria Bobblehead. If that guy goes out for an extended time, it’s going to hurt me.

I’ve got daily lineup issues now, and tough decisions. In my Yahoo League we start OF’s position specific. In the draft I kept J Upton and added Bruce knowing one of them would be my utility. But when some idiot dropped Big Papi to the wire, I grabbed him. Now I’ve got to decide which hot hitter sits each day. (I’m trying to trade Ortiz but haven’t found a deal yet)

sounds good. that’s what I thought. Willingham could turn pretty average pretty quick and while Lester is a stud, I like Luebke. I think the other manager is a little blinded by the bright shiny closer. I love Jennings power speed combo. He greatly boosts my steals potential without giving too much less power than Willingham.

@Alcesto, I agree that I’m tempted to start Volquez tonight but after Braun’s performance last night I’m not as confident. I just don’t know who is the best option between Volquez, Cahill, Nolasco, and Doubront. Any suggestions?

Re: Ortiz. It seems like there’s always that one team in your league this time of year where you look at them and you say “how the hell am I getting beat by this guy?” And you look at his team and, of course he’s got David Ortiz…oh and Encarnacion…and look there’s Nick Swisher and on down the line. Yes of course your team is going to hit .307 for the year.

@Smalls, you wanna s’more? Some more what?,
Personally, I’d roster Wilhelmsen. Stuff is legit, spot is unquestioned and racks up a ton of ks. Respectfully disagree with Grey here. Dotel can implode at any minute….

I’ve played in deep holds leagues last several years so I track religiously. You can also check with Smokey to get his take.

1.
All this talk about Pedro Alvarez is making me dizzy. But making me utterly nauseated? The realization that I may actually pick him up today.

Gamel and Jemile Weeks are the only guys I could see dropping for him, as I have decent 3B and 2B depth. Problem is, Lind is my only 1B and Gamel’s 1B eligibility is making me hold on a bit tighter. I refuse to give up on Lind, so is it worth dropping Gamel/Jemile for Alvarez? (keeping in mind that this is a league where a dropped player will almost certainly be picked up and held–so once I drop, “he gone,” as The Hawk would say)

2.
Have Lucroy, but his sporadic playing time is annoying. Seriously, why is Roenicke giving him a Sunday off when he’s scheduled to sit the following day with Randy Wolf on the hill?! He might as well be catching the vapors. Drop him for Ruiz or Nick Hundley? (again keeping in mind he will probably be gone by week’s end if I drop).

This is my worst nightmare… 14 team, 25 man dynasty league… year 1… #1 pick was longoria (11th overall). Now here are my options…. I own Seager… but he blows right now. Top FA 3Bs are: Wiggington, Glass Chipper, Carpenter, Chris Johnson, Jed Lowrie and Pedro Freaking Alvarez. I am thinking of rolling with Alvarez and hoping he catches fire… and because those other guys are bums (except Carp, but his PT is about to go way down with Craig coming back…) WTF should I do?

However i need a little advice. I intentionally dont have any offensive bat on my bench. I used all the bench spots for pitching. I always play it out until someone gets hurt. I cant stand starting the wrong position player while the one on bench starts mashing. Now Mark Reynolds got dropped in one of my leagues and i intend to give up on Escobars steals or Morneaus injury plagues wrist to claim him. A wise decision? I know he will ruin my avg. but i think he is a slow starter and will eventually end up jacking the long balls in bunches in may and june. Especially in Baltimore when the weather heats up. What do you think?

Anyone starting Jarrod Parker tonight at Fenway? After sitting Hammel @NYY last night, my heart wants to have faith. However, despite how busted the Sawx lineup may seem, they rank 1st in MLB with 127 runs scored, and 2nd in both AVG and SLG. They’re the only last place team with a positive differential between runs scored and runs allowed (127/124), so even though they’re not winning, they’re still slapping pitchers around.

I think I’d rather be sonovabench’d two days in a row than slammed into the Green Mahnstah.

@Awesomus Maximus, Yeah aside from the top ten pitchers, i would pretty much sit everyone else against them at this point. There is no benefit to gain out of a 8-7 victory of your pitchers team when at the end of the day he ends up getting charged with 6 or 7 earned runs.

“Vertigo to Nads on a Strain”….I just spit my coffee out onto my secretary…because she makes terrible coffee and she was giving me a bit of a tude this morning…somehow it’s my fault that she can’t figure out to make coffee? Anyway, it was really hot too, it almost burned my mouth a little…but I’m OK…my feelings were hurt more than anything…

In my dynasty league, someone dropped Ubaldo. I was the 6th waiver pick and I actually got him. I had one too many people on the DL which meant Carpenter was taking up a useful roster spot and has no timetable to return. Was it a good move to drop Carp for Ubaldo? I am hoping he can turn it around this year and find that magic. I didn’t want to drop Capuano, Detwiller or Worely which are my flyer picks/FAs

trade question
5×5 12 team keeper
i’m trying to get justin upton. the guy wants b harper, casilla, niese for upton, aj burnett, and lilly. all 3 of my guys are keepable. harper round 13 next year and round 6 the following year. niese has a round 17 next year and a 10 the following year. casilla would have a 12 next year. i’d slide k jansen in for casilla and j upton would go in for v wells. hope this isnt to confusing. do you guys think i’m giving up to much???

Im in a 16 man keeper league. I was offered Justin Upton, Jemile Weeks and 3 starters (that I will get too later) for Felix Hernandez, Ellsbury and bunch of guys that I would drop. Do you think there is any way Weeks can turn it around? But anyways here are the starters I could be getting back Jarrod Parker, Colon, James McDonald, Jake Arrieta, Tim Hudson, Homer Bailey and AJ Burnett. Is that a trade that is worth doing and are there three serviceable starters out of that group of guys? If that is a trade that would be worth it could you rank those guy also?

So it looks like there are some solid bats on waivers in one of my leagues. JD Martinez, Scott, Parra, Kubel, Reddick, and Niewynhooey all availble. Drop any of Alcides, Campana, Presley, Morrison, Cozart for one of those bros in a 10 team keeper? Lomo and Cozart would likely be scooped up immediately. Thanks!

10 team roto. Near bottom in steals. Gordon just got dropped. Should I pick him up? Do you see him losing playing time or being sent down due to his slow start? Who do I drop if I decide to get him?
I Davis
Rios
Boesch
Aviles

What do you think of getting less than draft day value for Lincecum? Heyward enough? McCann/Zobrist? (2 Catcher league) He also has Cano and Konerko…

Thought my offense was stacked with Pujols, Bautista, Pedrioa, Braun and McCutchen but was dead last as recently as last week. I don’t feel panicky but I’m getting nervous about Timmy and would like to get name value while I can…